“very good.” He told Adam to work the ground and it would yield to him. Adam and his wife could eat from whatever tree they wanted—that is, whatever tree except the one tree. And we know the rest of the story. They ate from the tree and God punished them and here we are today where work is hard and bad things happen.
The New Testament says something about our relationship with the rest of creation—we caused it a lot of pain. Our sin through Adam resulted in the cursing of the ground and now creation is groaning:
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Rom 8:19–23 ESV)
Scholars have interpreted this passage myriad ways,31 but the overall intent is clear: creation suffers along with the rest of humanity because of our sin. And like us, creation anticipates that day when Christ will set all things right. We will return to this crucial issue in discussing how creation relates to the Christian church today; for now it suffices to note the interrelatedness of human sin and the suffering of creation.
Christ Is Redeemer
Finally, the New Testament clearly shows Jesus Christ as the redeemer of both humanity and the created world (e.g., Matt 1:21; Luke 2:11; 19:10; Acts 4:12; 13:23; 1 Tim 1:15; Titus 2:13; etc.). The narrative arc of the Bible is that God—in Christ—created a good world, humans bungled it all by rebelling against God’s Word, and then God set about a plan of redemption that climaxed in the death, resurrection, and ascension of his own Son, the one through whom creation was made.
Christ inaugurated his redemptive work two millennia ago when he lived a sinless life and died a sinner’s death. He took upon himself all of God’s wrath so that those who believe in him would experience God’s forgiveness and kindness toward sinners (Rom 5:9; 2 Cor 5:21; 1 Thess 5:9). In this present moment, we can experience the forgiveness of sins and new life in Christ; however, we also experience the sting of death in this life, in this creation damaged by our sin. But Jesus promises that he will one day return and create a new heavens and a new earth, a place where there is no sin and no death and no mourning (Rev 21). Christ the Creator and Christ the Redeemer will re-create all that we have destroyed. Maranatha!
Creation and the Christian Life Today
How should Christians live differently in light of the Trinity’s work in creating and sustaining the world? Our discussion of Genesis indicated that God’s original intent for humans was that we function as priest-kings in right relationship with him. This was certainly the case with Adam and Eve, who lived in Yahweh’s presence in the garden of Eden, exercised dominion over creation, and enjoyed right relationship with each other. Of course, all that changed when they asserted their own authority and ate from the forbidden tree.
Genesis 3:15 sets the stage for the rest of the biblical narrative: a seed will come who will crush Satan’s head. That seed, we now know, is Jesus Christ, who indeed conquered death and crushed Satan’s head through his own death, burial, and resurrection. Being in Christ means, at least in part, that we have returned to that original role as priest-kings (see, e.g., Exod 19:6; 1 Pet 2:9). There is much to explore about how a theology of creation impacts the church’s role as priest-kings—not the least of which is the high priority we should place on creation care32—but here we will focus only on worship.
As we saw above, the Old Testament is filled with adulation for God because of his creative work. Creation displays God character, power, might, majesty, wisdom, sovereignty, and lovingkindness toward his people. Several months ago I stood on a beach and beheld the wonder of the Pacific Ocean. Such sights may be old hat for people who live close to the ocean, but for a guy from central Arkansas, it was breathtaking. I was overcome by the sheer beauty and majesty and danger of those waters that crashed against the beach. I had no choice but to praise the God who said, “as far as here you may come, but no farther” (Job 38:11). Such was the posture of the biblical writers, and we do well to remember God’s work in creation and worship him for it.
Our worship, however, must be properly focused. My father was the type of man who loved to be outside hunting or fishing, tinkering with this or that, and sometimes just sitting there, enjoying the hot sun or cool night. Whenever I would talk to my dad about Jesus, he always told me he wasn’t interested in Jesus or church because he experienced God outdoors. I’m sure there are many people just like him, people who marvel at creation but do not know the Creator. In essence, the worship the thing that was made rather than the One who made it (see Rom 1). Knowing Christ means knowing who created the waves, the birds, the trees. Thus, it is not enough simply to marvel at creation. We must allow creation to fulfill its proper role in pointing us toward the One worthy of worship. Likewise, we fulfill part of our role as priest-kings as we point others toward the One who created this magnificent world.
Questions for Discussion
1. How does God’s creation in the first few chapters of Genesis set the tone for the rest of the biblical witness?
2. What does it mean that all things were made through and for Christ? What is a practical way that Christ’s work in creation applies to the Christian life today?
3. Why should Christians work to develop a theology of creation? How does creation impact what we do on a daily basis?
4. How and why does a proper view of creation impact how Christians understand the gospel?
Bibliography and Recommended Reading
Bartholomew, Craig G., and Ryan P. O’Dowd. Wisdom Literature: A Theological Intro-duction. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2011.
Beale, Greg. We Become What We Worship: A Biblical Theology of Idolatry. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2008.
Berry, R. J., ed. The Care of Creation: Focusing Concern and Action. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2000.
Borgen, Peder. “Creation, Logos, and the Son: Observations on John 1:1–18 and 5:17–18.” ExAud 3 (1987) 88–97.
Bouma-Prediger, Steven. For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care. Engaging Culture. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2010.
Brueggemann, Walter. Theology of the Old Testament: Testimony, Dispute, Advocacy. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1997.
Clifford, Richard J. “Cosmogonies in the Ugaritic Texts and in the Bible.” Or 53 (1984) 203–19.
———. Proverbs: A Commentary. OTL. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1999.
———. “Psalm 89: A Lament over the Davidic Ruler’s Continued Failure.” HTR 73 (1980) 35–47.
Dyrness, William A. Themes in Old Testament Theology. Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity, 1977.
Enns, Peter. Exodus. NIVAC. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000.
Fisher, Loren R. “Creation at Ugarit and in the Old Testament.” VT 15 (1965) 313–24.
Garrett, Duane A. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.
